Faith of Our Mothers: Religiosity in Adult Daughter-Mother Relationships Lesley Ann Earles

172 Pages·2016·3.89 MB·English

by  Lesley Ann Earles

Faith of Our Mothers: Religiosity in Adult Daughter-Mother Relationships

Lesley Ann Earles

Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy
In
Human Development

Scott W. Johnson, Chair
Isabel S. Bradburn
Megan L. Dolbin-MacNab
Fred Piercy

April 28, 2016
Blacksburg, Virginia

Keywords: Mother-Daughter Relationships, Religiosity,
Family Systems, Women’s Studies, Moral Development
FAITH OF OUR MOTHERS:
RELIGIOSITY IN ADULT DAUGHTER-MOTHER RELATIONSHIPS

Lesley Ann Earles

ABSTRACT

In this hermeneutic phenomenological study, a purposive sample of 12
religious women considered their experiences of religiosity with their mothers and
larger family systems. Adult daughters reflected on the significance and meaning of
religion in their lives and relationships, particularly the interaction of mothers and
adult daughters concerning spirituality, beliefs, and experiences including
intergenerational transmission of religiosity. Adult daughters were queried regarding
maternal religious influence and the challenges of being women. Data were collected
to saturation and analyzed to consider individual narratives about families into the
development of three themes: Family Connections, Religious Consciousness, and
Encountering Community. Gilligan’s theory of moral development, including the
ethic of caretaking, is employed to consider religiosity in the adult daughter-mother
relationship. Limitations, clinical implications, and future directions are explored.
TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS.......................................................................................... iii

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................... 1

AREA OF STUDY............................................................................................... 1
MAINLINE PROTESTANTS….......................................................................... 3
JUSTIFICATION: RELIGIOSITY AND CLINICAL PRACTICE.................... 5
FRAMEWORK.................................................................................................... 7
Family Systems Theory................................................................................. 7
Moral Development....................................................................................... 8
Hermeneutic Phenomenology........................................................................ 8
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM.................................................................... 8
PURPOSE STATEMENT.................................................................................... 9
RESEARCH QUESTIONS.................................................................................. 9

CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW.............................................................. 11

ADULT DAUGHTER-MOTHER RELATIONSHIPS....................................... 11
RELIGIOUS TRANSMISSION.......................................................................... 12
ADULT DAUGHTER-MOTHER RELATIONSHIPS AND RELIGIOSITY.... 13
THE PRESENT STUDY...................................................................................... 15

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY....................................................................... 17

SAMPLE.............................................................................................................. 18
PROCEDURES.................................................................................................... 20
MEASURES......................................................................................................... 21
Demographic Information............................................................................. 21
Rites of Passage............................................................................................. 22
Salience Measure........................................................................................... 22
Descriptors for Image of God........................................................................ 23
Interview........................................................................................................ 23
Mother’s Contact Information....................................................................... 23
Generational Pattern...................................................................................... 24
Conversion Status.......................................................................................... 25
SELF-REFLEXIVITY.......................................................................................... 25
DATA ANALYSIS............................................................................................... 25
TRUSTWORTHINESS........................................................................................ 27

CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS…………...………………………………………….. 30

SAMPLE............................................................................................................... 31
RITES OF PASSAGE........................................................................................... 34
Baptismal age................................................................................................. 34
Confirmation age............................................................................................ 34
Marriage age................................................................................................... 34

CHURCH ATTENDANCE................................................................................... 34
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RELIGIOUS SALIENCE SCALE........................................................................ 35
IMAGE OF GOD.................................................................................................. 35
CONVERSION STATUS.................................................................................... 36
GENERATIONAL PATTERNS.......................................................................... 37
TRENDS.............................................................................................................. 39
INTRODUCTION OF THE ADULT DAUGHTERS AND THEIR FAMILY
SYSTEMS..................................................................................................... 39
Brenda…....................................................................................................... 40
Vicky............................................................................................................. 41
Lenore........................................................................................................... 43
Laurel............................................................................................................ 45
Mindy............................................................................................................ 45
Bethany......................................................................................................... 46
Shiphrah........................................................................................................ 47
Britany.......................................................................................................... 48
Melissa.......................................................................................................... 48
Clara….......................................................................................................... 49
Karen............................................................................................................. 50
Lucinda.......................................................................................................... 51
GENERATING THEMES................................................................................... 52
FAMILY CONNECTIONS................................................................................. 52
Mother as Religious Foundation................................................................... 53
Importance of Relatives................................................................................. 56
Husband/Significant Other’s Influence......................................................... 63
Her Own Children......................................................................................... 67
RELIGIOUS CONSCIOUSNESS....................................................................... 70
Spiritual Struggle.......................................................................................... 70
Coping........................................................................................................... 75
Prayer and Scripture...................................................................................... 78
God and Jesus............................................................................................... 83
ENCOUNTERING COMMUNITY.................................................................... 87
Church and Religious Ritual......................................................................... 87
Christian Ethics............................................................................................. 94
Women’s Concerns....................................................................................... 99
Friendships...................................................................................................105
Positioned in the Culture..............................................................................108
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS..............................................................................114

CHAPTER V: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION………………………...…116

SELF-REFLEXIVITY IN PROJECT REFLECTION........................................117
DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS............................................................................118
Religiosity in the Daughter-Mother Relationship.........................................119
Religious Transmission from Mother to Daughter…...................................122
Adult Daughter-Mother Religiosity and the Challenges of Women.............126
CONNECTIONS TO THE LITERATURE.........................................................129
LIMITATIONS....................................................................................................133
PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS.............................................................................135
FUTURE RESEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS...............................................139
CONCLUSION....................................................................................................142
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REFERENCES.....................................................................................................144
APPENDIX A: IRB APPROVAL LETTER.......................................................156
APPENDIX B: INFORMED CONSENT........................................................... 157
APPENDIX C: INTERVIEW GUIDE................................................................160
APPENDIX D: DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION.........................................161

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LIST OF TABLES

TABLE 1 THEMES & SUB-THEMES WITH FREQUENCY COUNT 30-31

TABLE 2 DEMOGRAPHICS 32

TABLE 3 TRADITION & ADULT DECISION OF AFFILIATION 37

TABLE 4 CONVERSION STATUS & GENERATIONAL PATTERN 38

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LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE 1 FREQUENCIES OF EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT 33

FIGURE 2 IMAGE OF GOD 36

FIGURE 3 CONVERSION STATUS & GENERATIONAL PATTERN 39

FIGURE 4 BRENDA’S FAMILY GENOGRAM 41

FIGURE 5 VICKY’S FAMILY GENOGRAM 42

FIGURE 6 LENORE’S FAMILY GENOGRAM 44

FIGURE 7 LAUREL’S FAMILY GENOGRAM 45

FIGURE 8 MINDY’S FAMILY GENOGRAM 46

FIGURE 9 BETHANY’S FAMILY GENOGRAM 47

FIGURE 10 SHIPHRAH’S FAMILY GENOGRAM 47

FIGURE 11 BRITANY’S FAMILY GENOGRAM 48

FIGURE 12 MELISSA’S FAMILY GENOGRAM 49

FIGURE 13 CLARA’S FAMILY GENOGRAM 50

FIGURE 14 KAREN’S FAMILY GENOGRAM 51

FIGURE 15 LUCINDA’S FAMILY GENOGRAM 52

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In loving memory of my grandmother, Dorothy Jean Gerbode Townsend and those
whose lives were cut short on April 16, 2007 at Virginia Tech

Dedicated to my beloved child, Jameson, who taught me to have the faith of a mother,

My own mother who made certain I had opportunities she never had,

And my partner and friend, Jamie.
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My deep appreciation is extended to my doctoral committee for their generous
guidance leading to my completion of the Marriage and Family Therapy program.
They dedicated significant time and offered invaluable advice throughout my course
of study, the influence of which is seen throughout this project. I thank my chair, Dr.
Scott Johnson, who took a chance on me as transfer student. He offered me an
opportunity to experience a positive doctoral program under his sound direction. I will
always be grateful for that opportunity. When, after completing my coursework I
faced the greatest challenges of my life, he assured me, “Take care of your son. The
rest will come later.” Later may have taken longer than either of us imagined but
these words were a terrific comfort in very dark times. I thank Dr. Isabel Bradburn
who sat with me in the first days of this project and offered her encouragement and
advice to write for where I wanted to go. Her direction in quantitative methods was
important to me in learning on her research team, through my preliminary exams, and
in the pages below. I thank Dr. Megan Dolbin-MacNab, who was a strong clinical
supervisor for me in Blacksburg and a lifeline while I was in the Cayman Islands for
my internship. I remember calling her from the bank explaining I needed her to
provide a reference that I was a moral person who would not engage in international
money laundering! I appreciate her guidance in this project including her review of
multiple outlines. I thank Dr. Fred Piercy for his support of my teaching classes in
Parent Education and Practice and his encouragement for my writing in his courses
and on my comprehensive examinations. He was gracious with his time and very
generous in the ninth inning of this process. I thank my outside reader, The Rev. Dr.
Loren Townsend, who has been my mentor since my masters program. The therapist,
thinker, and person I am today has been shaped for the better by his direction, care,
and encouragement. I also wish to thank Dr. Jay Mancini who was very kind to me
and taught me so much about theory and research while I was his assistant and on his
research team. Thank you all for everything.

My deep appreciation goes to the anonymous women who shared their stories with
me for this project. They were vulnerable and honest. I have taken their words into
my being.

On a personal note, I wish to thank my family and friends. My husband and children
have been the day to day support I have absolutely depended upon to complete this
program. My husband, The Rev. Dr. James D. McLeod, Jr., has been my coach, my
shoulder, and my biggest cheerleader. We have faced together what no parents should
have to face and though tattered and torn, we made it. We made it. Our eldest son,
Jameson, is the strongest person I know. He taught me that perseverance is not merely
a possibility, it is just what we will do. Our sweet baby Seamus came into our lives
bringing hope, joy, laughter, and light to make dry bones live. You are each loved
enormously… and have Momma back. Thank you to my own mother, Wendy Kueck,
who inspired parts of this project and showed me how strong women are. Thank you
to my step-father, Thomas Kueck, who believed in me and has cared for our family in
so many ways. Thank you to my sister, Dianne Kueck, and my best friends, Katie
George and The Rev. Lavender Kelley, who have offered love, support,
encouragement, and an occasional kick in the rump. Thank you for being you.

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Faith of Our Mothers 1
Chapter I

INTRODUCTION

This hermeneutic phenomenology studies religiosity in adult daughter-mother
relationships. This project inquires into the experiences, family systems, and religious
transmission of 12 mainline Protestant adult daughters. These experiences were
examined for themes, generational patterns, and the participants’ perspectives on
morality.
Area of Study
Adult daughter-mother relationships are essential to the understanding of
extended families, including our knowledge of important markers of family strength
such as resilience, cohesion, and closeness (Bojczyk, Lehan, McWey, Melson, &
Kaufman, 2011; Fingerman, Sechrist, & Birditt, 2013). Townsend (1957) describes
these dyads as serving a linchpin function, meaning they set the dynamics for the
facilitation, interaction, and support of the wider extended family. Mothers, for
example, perform the kinkeeping role in most families – that is, they ensure family
members remain in touch with one another, alert members to milestones such as
birthdays, and ensure holidays are recognized or planned – and this responsibility is
frequently passed on to adult daughters (Rosenthal, 1985; Rowe & Harman, 2014).
Adult daughter-mother relationships are thus highly salient intergenerational
connections for women that endure through the life course.
While adult daughters and mothers report higher ambivalent emotions in their
interactions than other parent-adult child pairings, discord in adult daughter-mother
relationships tends to lessen over time (Fingerman, 2001; Fischer, 1986, 1991).
Regardless of previous discord, for example, adult daughters are particularly likely to